"Cinder" by Marissa Meyer

5 of 5 stars!

The Basics: (No spoilers included.) Meyer does a great job putting a spin on the classic Cinderella story. Cinder is a science-fiction, young adult novel following Cinder, who is a cyborg (the lowest class of this futuristic world). She is shunned by her stepmother (guardian) Adri and stepsister Pearl. But, she is loved by her sister Peony and android, Iko. Of course there is a prince, Kai, who falls for Cinder after asking her to fix his android. By the way, Cinder is a mechanic and Kai doesn't know she is a cyborg. Either way, the story changes once Kai's father, the Emperor, dies from letumosis. This disease has been plaguing Earthlings with no cure in sight. The dangerous Lunar Queen Levana, who is accused of killing the heir to the Lunar thrown, has invited herself to Earth to take advantage of the Kai in his time of mourning. Things gets really interesting upon her visit.

My Thoughts: I really didn't think I would like this book. Cinderella. Futuristic. Cyborg. Androids. It just did not seem like a great combination to me but this book kept reappearing in conversations among fellow bookies so I had to read it...and I'm happy I did. Though the story takes a spin on the Cinderella fairy tale, it is a story all on its own. The story was not too romanticized. I think Cinder fights her own battles and will continue to handle herself accordingly as her character continues to appear within the other books in the series. I'm looking forward to reading Scarlet to see how Meyer incorporated other fairy tales while continuing the story of Cinder, Kai, and Levana.

Remember,
Teacher read fun stuff too!

"The Death Cure" by James Dashner

4 of 5 stars.

It took me forever to read this book only because I have been slacking on my reading lately. But my review is below.

The Basics: The trilogy continues with Thomas waking up in a white room with no interaction with the outside world. Eventually, Rat Man aka A.D. Janson enters and the craziness with WICKED continues. Thomas is reunited with his friends and learns that not all of them are immune to the Flare. Unfortunately, Newt is not immune so the plot thickens. Eventually Thomas and his crew escape to Denver with the help of Jorge and Brenda. They learn of a force working against WICKED, The Right Arm, in which they learn Gally has joined forces with. Either way, Newt's condition worsens and Thomas and Minho  try to help him out to no avail. I won't give too much of a spoiler here, but it obviously ends bad for Newt. Maybe that just was a spoiler...oops!
Thomas teams up with The Right Arm to hopefully destroy WICKED and also assist in a cure for The Flare to help Newt. Fast forward to the end of the book, Thomas is taken aback when he learns WICKED is trying to dissect his brain and of course Janson (Rat Man) is the one heading this operation.
With the help of Chancellor Paige, Thomas, Minho, Brenda, and many Immunes who were being hoarded for another round of the Trials escapes using a flat trans. In the battle to get to the trans in addition to the explosives being set off by the Right Arm at the WICKED compound, Teresa dies leaving the reader with more questions than answers. Also, Brenda suspiciously knows how to destroy the trans and the shed in which the Immunes were transported to.
In the Epilogue we learn that this whole ordeal was in the plans already, headed by Chancellor Paige.

My Thoughts: Ok, this is the end of the series but what's with Brenda? She is obviously a pawn in WICKED's plans for the Immunes. Thomas and Minho seem to lose a little trust for her in the end of the book after allowing her to earn her trust throughout the course of the novel. So, does that mean the Jorge is also working for WICKED? Were Jorge and Brenda's job to keep tabs on Thomas so WICKED could do with them what they pleased when they were ready? This is all pretty weird.
Also, why in the hell would Dashner kill Teresa? Was she good? Bad? She got her memories back but the reader was never able to figure out what her memories revealed. The ending of this novel is definitely unsatisfactory, which is why I'm giving the book 4 instead of 5 stars.
I wonder if Dashner is planning to add to the series? As the reader, I want to know Brenda's position in this whole situation and what will happen to this whole community of Immunes. Will their new community be just like the Glade? Is it all a big set up?

Either way, I am going to read The Kill Order, but I was hoping for so much more at the end of The Death Cure. I'm kind of bummed out about this...

Anyway....

Remember, teachers read fun stuff too!

"The Devil's Arithmetic" by Jane Yolen

                                      3.5 of 5 stars.
 
The Basics: This book follows Hannah, a young girl from New Rochelle. During a Seder celebration, she is transported to a time of turmoil and disregard for the human life; we now call it the Holocaust. Chaya's (Hannah's) confusion is apparent when she meets her "aunt" and "uncle" Gitl and Shmuel. Upon their arrival to Shmuel's wedding, German soldiers come to relocate the Jews. Chaya knows exactly what is going to happen as she is from the future, but no one takes heed to what she is saying. At the concentration camps many friends and family die, including Chaya. When Hannah comes back to the future/present time, she learns that the girl who became her friend at the concentration camp, Rivka, was actually a depiction of her Aunt Eva. It was as if Hannah was reliving the horrors experienced by her aunt and those her aunt knew.  
 
My Thoughts: The story was indeed captivating as it discusses the horrors experienced during the Holocaust. The idea that the Holocaust was an actual time period in which unspeakable dread was experienced still boggles my mind. Fictional depictions of this time period like The Devil's Arithmetic only touch the surface of the hell Jews went through in such concentration camps. My mind can't even fathom this abhorrence toward human life. I didn't even know the kids hid in the trash when Dr. Mengele would come. How awful!

I did like the story told in this book, but the plot is slow in the beginning and it actually took me a while to gain an interest in the book. But, the character of Hannah/Chaya was well developed. As the reader, I did feel a connection with her and became vested in her well-being. I had my students read this book and those who actually finished the book did enjoy it, though it admittedly wasn't the best book they read. Personally, it wasn't the best fictional Holocaust book I have read either, but the experience in which the book allows the reader to experience is notable.

I see that a movie was made to accompany the book, so I will view it.

Remember, teachers read fun stuff too!

"Stolen" (Heart of Dread #2) by Melissa de la Cruz

 
3.5 stars of 5.
There are spoilers in this review.

The Basics: Wes and Nat's story continue in this second book of the Heart of Dread series. The ending of of Frozen leads the way for the continuing battle of Nat and her drakon (dragon) against the RSA. Nat also meets Faix in the Blue and he becomes her mentor/teacher. We later find out Faix is a drau which is the most feared magical because of their ability to kill with their brains while feeling no remorse. Meanwhile, Wes is on a journey to find out what happened to his sister Eliza. In the meantime, Liannan and the smallmen are missing and feared dead. Wes and Shakes meet back up with Roark to continue on the journey to finding Eliza and eventually Liannan, Shakes' girlfriend.


My Thoughts: I enjoyed the book, but not as much as book #1, Frozen. The plot was sufficient and kept the reader wondering how Wes would get himself and his crew out of some tough situations but the majority of the excitement happens at the end of the book. I was absolutely surprised at the events in New Kandy with the priests. Tourists hunting the marked was a bit disturbing but the identification of one of the three friends as marked was surprising. But the best plot twist was Eliza being Lady Algeana Penthos, High Priestess of the White. You would not expect that since she was marked herself, but Wes' constant reminders to the reader that his sister was disturbed and possibly self-destructive made this plot twist seamless.

De la Cruz ends the novel with a bit of a cliff-hanger so I'm intrigued to know how this story will end in the 3rd installment of this series. Hopefully the 3rd book will actually be the last because this story is already becoming a bit lackluster for me. 

~Remember, teacher read fun stuff too!